According to investigators, their murders may have been a robbery gone wrong, noting that some of their property is missing. According to witnesses, the assailant was a person in dark clothing who got away in an dark-colored car:

An LAPD-FBI homicide task force is also part of the investigation into the killings of Ming Qu, 23, and Ying Wu, 23, two graduate students in electrical engineering.

Also on Friday, investigators revealed that two or three shots were fired into the driver's side of the 2003 BMW that Qu and Wu were sitting in at about 1 a.m. in the 2700 block of Raymond Avenue. Neighbors heard the gunshots and called 911, and one witness saw a person in dark clothing running away, Gannon said.

"There was a dark-colored car, possibly an American model, that pulled away right after the shots were fired," he said. "It had been idling down the street."

After reviewing video surveillance footage, the LAPD has identified 75 vehicles that fit the description of the dark car. Gannon said detectives are tracking down the ownership of each vehicle.